Date of birth | 2 August 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Ha'ateiho, Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 88 kg (13 st 12 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Tamaki College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Atieli Pakalani (born 2 August 1989) [1] is a Tongan rugby union player. [2] He is nicknamed the 'Tongan Hitman', [3] and his usual position is on the wing. Pakalani played Super Rugby for the NSW Waratahs in 2011. [2] In 2017 Pakalani joined Leicester Tigers. [4]
Pakalani attended secondary school at Tamaki College in New Zealand. [5] He joined ITM Cup team Auckland in 2009 on a two-year deal. He also captained the Tongan Under 20 team at the 2009 IRB Junior World Championship. [6]
In 2014 Pakalani represented Australia 7s at the time committing him to represent Australia only. In 2016 he was successful in an application to use a loophole in World Rugby's eligibility laws to allow him to represent Tonga [7] and on 1 July 2017 he made his international debut for Tonga in a 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifier against Samoa. [8]
Pakalani competed for Tonga at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town. [9]